9 



might be added as a curiosity that the Eastcoast of Greenland 

 can boast of one or two improvements unknown on the West- 

 coast. Small as certainly they are when compared with the 

 whole equipment one of them nevertheless deserves to be men- 

 tioned. It consists in having the large bladder replaced by two 

 smaller ones closely bound together. Besides the security it 

 otherwise affords, the usefulness of this contrivance may be 

 perceived when we consider the critical circumstances under 

 which the capture of a seal is performed', and especially the 

 fact taken into account that the several operations of throwing 

 the harpoon and at the same time getting rid of the bladder 

 and line, killing the animal with, the lance, fastening it for being 

 towed and finally restoring and duly fixing the instruments used 

 — have all to be done with one hand, while the other must 

 keep hold of the paddle, ready to avert the dangers which at 

 the same time may arise from the sea. Experience has probably 

 shown that the double bladder is easier to handle and especi- 

 ally to catch hold of than the large one. It must, as a matter 

 of course, be understood that here, as well as in the following 

 pages we speak of natives and especially Greenlanders as they 

 were before their primitive habits were influenced by contact 

 with Europeans. 



This might be sufficient so far as sealhunting from kayak 

 is concerned. It is well known that the same animal is hunted 

 also by other means, some of which in certain regions more 

 or less supplant the kayak. This is the case, where the winter 

 ice hinders its use for loo long a period of the year. More- 

 over whalefishery is carried on by the Eskimo in different places 

 with great expertness, and for this kind of chase as well as in 

 pursuing other large cetaceous animals and seals the open skin- 

 boat is made use of as much as, or even more so than the kayak. 

 But when SEALHCiMIJNG MUST BE PERFORMED ON THE FROZEN 

 SEA, the methods practised do not seem to have been subjected 

 to the same kind of changes which we have seen in the operations 



